STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Hurricane Sandy has insinuated itself into every corner of life on Staten Island, and the fifth annual Health and Wellness Expo at the Hilton Garden Inn, Bloomfield, proved no exception.

The superstorm has caused an increase in pulmonary disease on Staten Island and may likely contribute to a heightened incidence of other maladies, including cardiac disease and psychiatric illnesses, according to experts participating in Thursday night's panel discussion "Your Life After Sandy: Immediate & Long Term Concerns: Behavioral, Spiritual and Mental Health After Sandy."

Dr. Theodore Strange, associate chairman of medicine and vice president of medical operations for Staten Island University Hospital, attributes the phenomenon to contact either with noxious fumes or mold. He said there were similar findings after 9/11.

Dr. Strange added while there is no local data yet, depression and anxiety may exacerbate diabetes and cardiac disease. He said data from Hurricane Katrina showed similar increases in the area in and around New Orleans because of the stresses and problems people were dealing with; there were also increases in heart rate and hypertension. 

Hundreds of Staten Islanders packed the expo, which tackled an array of health-related issues, everything from substance abuse and bullying to heart disease and obesity.

"Staten Island, unfortunately, leads the City of New York in heart disease, lung disease, obesity and diabetes. And we have the highest rate of breast cancer of all the boroughs," University Hospital President and CEO Anthony Ferreri said.

Adults and schoolchildren crowded into the Hilton Garden Inn at the start of the all-day, free event, which included a host of sessions addressing heath-care topics, dozens of vendor tables, health screenings and flu shots.

"We all have a role here to play on Staten Island -- physicians, elected officials and community leaders. We are on the front line of health care on Staten Island," said City Councilman James Oddo (R-Mid-Island/Brooklyn), who sponsored the event with University Hospital and the Staten Island Heart Institute. "We can control the quality of life that we live." 

SUBSTANCE ABUSE 

With the Island being the borough with the highest rate of fatalities caused by drug overdoses, it's not surprising that one of the main topics addressed at the expo was substance abuse.

It has been reported that from 2005 to 2011, Staten Island saw a 261 percent increase in overdose deaths from prescription opiates, ending with a rate four times higher than Manhattan, Queens or Brooklyn. Of the 220 city residents who died in 2011 from a prescription painkiller overdose, 40 were Staten Islanders.

"Every single addictive drug works by the decrease of a substance called Dopamine in your brain," said Dr. Stephen Dewey of North Shore LIJ's Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, during a session titled "Our Bodies, Our Brains, The Biology of Substance Abuse," which was attended by many sophomores from McKee High School in St. George, as well as other students.

He explained why and how kids get addicted to drugs, and covered the dangers of a host of substances -- from methamphetamines to marijuana.

"If you do not use an illicit drug by the time you're 22 years old, the likelihood of becoming addicted to a drug is less than 1 percent. This means it's rare to find drug abusers in their 30s who started in their 30s," said Dr. Dewey. 

OVERDOSE KITS 

The average painkiller or heroin overdose can prove fatal in just a few hours, and having some extra time to call 911 might mean the difference between irreversible tragedy and a chance at recovery.

On Thursday, city health officials trained a room full of concerned parents and medical professionals on how to use a nasal spray that might just give an overdose victim the time they need to make it to the hospital.

"It takes one to three hours for someone to die from an opioid overdose. So what does that tell you? There is time. There is time to take action," said Amu Ptah-Riojas, a harm- reduction coordinator with the city Health Department. "It's really important to have these difficult conversations and come up with a plan."

Ms. Ptah-Riojas was speaking during a training seminar on how to use Narcan, a nasal spray version of the prescription anti-overdose medication naloxone, sponsored by the Tackling Youth Substance Abuse (TYSA) coalition.

And attendance was so high that officials ran out of Narcan kits.

About 75 people packed into the hotel's Wine Room. TYSA director Adrienne Abbate said that officials gave out 40 two-dose kits, but still had to take the names of another 15 people for a waiting list.

Naloxone essentially blocks the effects of opioids like the widely abused painkiller oxyocodone, meaning that a person suffering an overdose will essentially start to breathe again.

"Those substances are still in the body. If that person does not get to the hospital, they can go back into overdose," she said. "It buys you time. About 30 to 90 minutes, but you don't want to wait."

According to Ms. Ptah-Riojas, those trained with the kit should call 911 immediately, perform "rescue breathing" if needed, then administer the spray and put the victim into a "recovery position" to prevent them from choking on vomit.

HERO AWARDS 

The third annual Community Health Hero Awards recognized the efforts of numerous organizations that helped bring Staten Islanders through one of its darkest times, the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

Thursday night, 15 organizations were recognized for their continuing efforts to help residents after the devastating Oct. 29 hurricane.

"The emphasis this year is on recognizing the people who came to support those who suffered the aftermath of the storm," said Anthony Ferreri, president/CEO of Staten Island University Hospital, "And people did some wonderful things for people who were in need."

The awards were presented by Ferreri, Oddo and Chris Williams of Williams Eye Works.

In a session titled "Action & Prevention: Bullying & Drugs," geared toward intermediate school students, Police Officer Danny Fox of the NYPD's Community Affairs unit, warned eighth-graders from Egbert Intermediate School in Midland Beach and Edwin Markham School in Graniteville of the dangers of bullying.

"Bullying is a repeated act that's done over and over again. If I do something to him over and over again and he doesn't like it, that's bullying" said Fox, using a student for illustration.

Fox also presented videos and a slideshow about various children who committed suicide as a result of bullying.

Meanwhile, Michael J. Dowling, CEO and president of North Shore-LIJ, spoke at the expo about the importance of jobs in the health care industry.

"If you're feeling down in the dumps one day, I urge you to take a walk through the oncology unit of our children's hospital or the intensive care unit of any of our facilities, it will put everything into perspective ... That's what's important about the business of the health care industry."